Stamp vending and applying device



Oct. 9, 1956 T. J. MAzzoNE STAMP VENDING AND APPLYING DEVICE ssheets-sheet 41.

Filed Nov. 4, 1954 DTTORN E U T. J. MAZZCNE STAMP VENDING AND APPLYINGDEVICE oct. 9, 1956 5 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 4, 1954 INVENToR.K7//0/27615 l Mazzo/7e HTTOENEU Oct. 9, 1956 T. .1. MAzzoNE 2,765,946

STAMP VENDING AND APPLYING DEVICE I Filed NOV. 4, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3i INVENToR. %0/77a5. J//JZZU/ie Esatented Oct. 9, 1956 ine 2,765,946STAMP VENDING AND APPLYING DEVICE Thomas J. Mazzone, Minneapolis, Minn.Application November 4, 1954, Serial No. 466,866 16 Claims. (Cl. 216-25)My invention relates to Iimprovements in postage stamp vending andapplying devices.

An object of this invention is to provide novel means for applyingmoisture to a given area on an envelope.

Another object is to provide novel means for pressing a postage stamponto a moistened area of an envelope.

Still another object of this invention is to provide novel means forfeeding a strip of postage stamps to an envelope and for positioning theoutermost stamp in the strip on a moistened area of said enveiope.

Still another object of this invention is to provide novel means forsevering a postage stamp from a strip of postage stamps.

Still another object of this invention is to move a novel envelopemoistening device and a novel stamp pressure and severing device intoalignment with any one of a plurality of rolls of strips of postagestamps to be fed to envelopes.

Still another object of `this invention is to provide novel means forunwinding a strip of postage stamps from any one of a plurality of rollsof strips of postage stamps and feeding the same to envelope supportingand positioning means.

Still another object of this invention is to provide novel automaticmeans for holding an envelope moistening device retracted and otherautomatic means `for releasing the same. v

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description reference being had to the drawings.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the noveldevices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken on the irregular line 1-1 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and alsoincludes of the sectional View, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail taken through the center of thepartial spur gear 109;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal `section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;V

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l, andshowing the internal parts in plan view;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. l;

Fig. 7 shows volved position;

Fig. 8 shows the mechanism after having returned to its normal position;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken on the yline 10-10 of Fig. 9;

part of the mechanism of Fig. 6 in its reparts which would lie in frontFig. l1 shows a portion of the top view of the device;

Fig. l2 is taken on the line 12-12 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 13 is `taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12; and

Fig. 14 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 14-14 of Fig.5.

An external casing A, which is essentially lbox-like in structure,provides hou-sing and support for the mechanism within. It consists of atop 15, a bottom 16, a righthand side 17, a left-hand side 18, a back19, and a front 2i). A portion of the top 15 is integral with therighthand side 17, forming an access door 21, which is hinged at 22 tothe bottom member 16. The device rests upon four feet 23 which are fixedto the under surface of the bottom member 16 in such an arrangement asto provide adequate support.

The mechanisms within the casing A maybe classified into two principalgroups according to their functions: the stamp-applying unit B, and thestamp-dispensing units C and C.

The function of the stamp-'applying unit B is to afford a handle formanual operation of the device, to wit: the portion of the envelope tobe stamped, to actuate unit C or C and, after a stamp has been presentedby unit C or C', to sever its perforated line, and to press it firmly tothe wet surface of the envelope.

The entire unit B is suspended by its top plate 24 from two angle 'bars25 and 26, the end portions of which are equipped with rollers 27 whichmay move in the channel guides 28. The end portions of the guides 28 arerigidly txed to the casing members 19 and Titi. By means of the rollers27, the entire unit B may be moved in horizontal forward and rearwardmotion into three discreetly located positions: a forward position, arearward position, and a neutral position. When in its forward position,the

" unit B may actuate the stamp-dispensing unit C; when in `its rearwardposition it may pensing unit C, and when in its actuate neither unit Cnor unit C'. Thus, if units C and `C contain different kinds of stamps,the stamps may be selected at will by moving unit B into either it-sforward or its rearward position. When the device is not in use, theunit B would normally be moved into its neutral position.

These three positions of unit B are located automatically by means oftwo stops 29 and 30 which are located, respectively, on the left-handend portion of the angle bar 26, and on the right-hand end portion ofangle bar 25. Fig. 14 shows an enlarged sectional detail view of stop 29and its associated parts. It shows the portion of plate 31 which slidesover the surface of the top ange of channel 28, its other portion beingrigidly fixed to the top flange of the end portion of angle lbar 26.Rigidly fixed at right angles to the t-op of the portion of plate 31which is shown in Fig. 14 is a short strap spring 32 which has a shortpin 33 fixed to the understide of its extremity. The `forward positionof unit B has been reached when the pin 33 engages hole 34, which islocated in the top flange of channel 28. The back side of the hole 34 isinclined as indicated at 35. This permits forcible backward movement ofunit B, while the vertical front edge of hole 34, together with abuckling action of spring 32, will prevent further forward movement ofunit B when the pin 33 is thus engaged in hole 34.

With the exception that the strap spring of stop 30 is extended in adirection opposing that of spring 32, the stop 30 is of identicalconstruction to that of stop 29. The rearward position of unit B isreached when stop 30 engages hole 36, the forward side of which isinclined to permit forcible forward movement, only, out of engagementtherewith.

The neutral position of unit B has been reached when actuate thestamp-disneutral position, it may the stop 29 engages the depression 37which is `located in the top flange of channel 28, as shown in Fig. 14.

The stamp-applying unit B consists of two main parts, both of which arerigidly suspended from the underside of the top plate 24, which hasalready been described, these two main parts being a reservoir 38 andthe stampapplying mechanism 39. Their relative positions can best beseen in Fig. 2. The reservoir is essentially a vertically elongatedbox-like structure, the bottom member of which projects toward the frontof the device and forms a letter stop 4). The front side of thereservoir begins to curve forward in its upper half and thereaftercurves toward a horizontal plane with an ever-diminishing radius,forming the cam surface 41. In this cam surface 41 is an aperture 4Zthrough which a sponge or other porous material 43 protrudes slightly,being held firmly in place by a spring 44 which is anchored to theunderside of the top of the reservoir. The lower end of sponge 43extends into the fluid 45, the level of which must lie below lower edgeof aperture 42 to prevent seepage onto the hoor of the device-the upperportions of the sponge 43 being saturated with lluid by capillaryattraction.

The stamp-applying mechanism 39 consists of several moving parts whosemain frame and base of resistance is an inverted U-shaped strap of metalor other hard material 46 which depends rigidly and transversely fromthe underside of top plate 24. The right-hand prong 47 and the left-handprong 48 of frame 46 are extended forwardly at their lower end portionsand at the extremities of these extensions they are joined together by abrace rod 49. Further rigidity is given to this frame 46 by rear wardextensions 50, of the lower end portions of prongs 47 and 48, whichbecome integrally joined to the right and left sides, respectively, ofthe reservoir 38.

The vertical flange of a short-horizontally-disposed angle bar 51 isrigidly fixed to the outer surface of the lower end portion of prong 48.lts horizontal flange is integral with the lower half of a telescopingtube 52, and forms a hase of resistance for a compression spring 53,which is confined within the tube 52, and whose function is to keep thehandle 54 in its uppermost position when not in use, the upper half oftube 52 being embedded in said handle.

The lower end portion of the upper half of the telescoping tube 52 isrigidly engaged in a hole in the horizontal flange of a short angle barSia, the vertical ange of which is rigidly attached to the left prong 57of the handle member 55. Also embedded in the handle 52 is the upper endportion of a strap of metal 55 in the form of an inverted U. It islocated directly above the frame 46 and its right-hand prong 56 andleft-hand prong 57 extend downwardly on either side of the top plate 24to slide over the outer surfaces of frame members 47 and 48 when thehandle 54 is depressed. The lower end portions of the prongs 56 and 57are extended horizontally to the front and rear to accommodate long,horizontal slots 78. A rod S which extends through these aligned slots78, has enlarged end portions which lie on the outside surfaces of theprongs 56 and 57, preventing endwise movement of the rod 58. This rod 58also extends through aligned and forwardly-convex, semicircular slots 59in the side members of frame 46. At the radial centers of the slots 59,two pins 60 project in opposing alignment from the inside surfaces ofthe prongs 47 and 48 of frame 46, and form an axis about which themechanism between said prongs may revolve. This mechanism between prongs47 and 48 is labeled unit b in the drawings. It consists of a secondaryframe 6l, which is equipped on one end with an absorbent roller, and onits other end with a combination pressure plate and cutting edge forsevering the stamp from its adjoining stamp and for pressing it to theenvelope. The frame 61 consists of member 62, formed in the shape of aninverted U, and a smaller U-shaped member 63, the legs of which projectupwardly and are integrally attached to the inside.

surfaces of the two legs of member 62. The two legs of member 62 haveoutwardly extending flanges, and its top portion has upwardly extendingflanges, so that all three sides of this member resemble channel bars.Rigidly axed to the outside surfaces of the two legs of frame member 62and vertically disposed between their flanges, are two long rectangularplates which extend downwardly beyond the legs of frame members 62.Plate 64 is on the left side, and plate 65 is on the right side. Theseplates 64 and 65 also have aligned holes which admit the passage throughthem of the rod 58, and between plate 64 and the left leg of the handlemember 55 is a spacing collar 66 through which the rod 58 also passes.

The lower end portions of the plates 64 and 65 are equipped with longvertical slots in which the legs 67 of roller holder 68 are capable ofsliding in longitudinal motion with respect to plates 64 and 65. Theroller holder 68 is in the form of an inverted U which has aligned holesin the lower end portions of its legs to accommodate a shaft 69 whichalso passes through the roller 70. The roller 70 is thus confinedbetween the legs of the roller holder 68 and can move freely in rotarymotion about its shaft 69. It is made of rubber or -other resilientmaterial and has a porous surface. rthe left-hand end portion of theshaft 69 is extended beyond the left leg of the roller holder 68 for areason which will appear later.

The legs 67 of the roller holder 68 are normally kept at the lowerextremity of the slots in plates 64 and 65 by the action of acompression spring 71, one end of which is rigidly fastened to the undersurface of the secondary frame member 63, and the other end of which isrigidly fastened to the upper surface of roller holder 68.

Located between the vertical flanges of the top surface of the secondaryframe member 62 is a device for severing a stamp from an adjoining`stamp at its perforated line and for pressing the stamp to the surfaceof the envelope. This device consists of an essentially flat lever 72which is hinged to a fulcrum which is in the form of a rod 73, the endsof which are rigidly engaged in aligned holes in the vertical topflanges of secondary frame member 61. The larger portion of lever 72extends left of its fulcrum and the end portion thereof is slightlycurved downwardly with respect to the plane of the lever. The lever 72also projects for a yshort distance to the right of its fulcrum and theend portion thereof is bent upward at right angles to the plane of thelever and the top edge of the flange thus formed constitutes a pressureedge 74 for separating a stamp from an adjoining stamp. The lever 72 iskept in an extended position from the secondary frame member 61 by theaction of a spring 75 which is rigidly attached to the top of framemember 61. An extension of the top end portion of plate 65 bears againstthe under surface of the right-hand end of lever 72 forming a stop 76,which prevents the lever 72 from failing to clear the top of the frame46. An extension of the upper end portion of the plate 64 similarlyfor-ms a stop 77 for the left-hand portion of lever 72, so that itcannot be depressed beyond a horizontal position.

Referring now in particular to Figs. 2, 6, 7 and 8, it may be seen thatwhen the handle 54 is depressed, the various elements of unit B operateas follows. The rod 58 enters the semicircular slots 59 in frame members47 and 48 by means of short vertical slots. These short entry slots havecorrespondingly aligned holes in the sides of secondary frame member 62and in its side plates 64 and 65. As continued depression of the handle54 takes place, the rod 58 follows the semicircular path of slots 59,its horizontal motion with respect to the prongs 56 and 57 of the handlemember being provided for by the horizontal slots 78 in the end portionsthereof. This semicircular motion of rod 58 causes unit b, through whichit passes, to revolve about the axis provided by the pins 60 through anarc of approximately As the unit b is revolved, the roller 70 contactsthe porous material 43, absorbs moisture therefrom, and issimultaneously pressedtQward the axis of unit b by the cam surface 41.As the roller 70 is pressed inwardly in this manner, the extended leftend portion of the roller shaft 69 contacts the cam surface 79 ofspring-loaded detent 80.

This detent 80 is in the form of a lever, pivoted at 81, to the outersurface of plate 64. The lower end portion of this lever is equippedwith a hook S2 which is formed by an extension of cam surface 79. Theupper end of the detent curves upwardly and rearwardly from the pivotpoint 81 and its end portion has a hole in which the end of a tensionspring S3 is fastened. The other end of spring S3 is fastened to a smallpin 84 which projects outwardly from the lower rear end portion of plate64. A second small pin 85 projects from the outer surface of plate 64just below the backwardly curved upper end portion of detent 80, forminga stop which limits the extent to which the detent 8G can be pulled backby spring 83, and also keeps said detent in position to be contacted bythe roller shaft 69.

As the roller 70 continues its inward movement after its shaft hascontacted the cam surface 79 of detent 80, it causes the cam surface 79to slide backward, pushing the hooked end of detent S aside. However,when the extended shaft 69 reaches a point which is above the hook 82,the action of spring 83 causes the hook 82 to move quickly back intoposition and under the shaft 69 and to retain it in this inward positionso that the roller 70 will not contact the envelope on its return trip.See Fig. 7.

When the handle 54 has been depressed to the point where the rod 58 hasreached the lower extremities of the semicircular slots 59 in framemembers 47 and 48, the pressure plate '72 is poised directly over theplace where the letter is to be stamped. That portion of the envelopewas dampened when the roller 70 passed over it in the initial part ofthe depression of handle 54, and the timing with the action of a stampdispensing unit C or C (which will be described later) is such that,when unit b reaches this inverted position, a stamp is unrolled from oneof said units and is placed directly over that portion of the envelopewhich is to be stamped. Continued pressure on the handle 54 thereforebrings the pressure plate 72 into contact with the stamp. This continueddownward movement, which must take place after the unit b has beeninverted by the semicircular slots S9 is allowed by vertical slots 86which extend downwardly from the lower extremities of the semicircularslots S9 in the frame members 47 and 43. This movement is also providedfor by vertical slots S6 in the mid portions of plates 64 and 65, intowhich the pins 60 extend. When the pressure plate 72 is thus broughtinto contact with the stamp, the curved end portion contacts the backedge of the stamp first, fastening it tightly to the envelope. Thisaction pulls the stamp taut, and as continued pressure is exerted onhandle 54, the pressure edge 74 separates the stamp being applied fromits adjoining stamp, and shortly thereafter the main body of thepressure plate 72 is pressed rrnly against the stamp, affixing ittightly to the envelope.

After a stamp has been applied to an envelope in this manner and manualpressure is released from the handle 54, the handle is automaticallyreturned to its upward position by the action of the compression spring53. In this process, the unit b is revolved back through 180 into itsoriginal position. However, the extended portion of the roller shaft 69is retained in an inward position by the hook 82 of the detent Si), sothat the wet roller 70 will not pass over the stamp which has just beenapplied. When the unit b has nearly returned to its normal position, asmall plate which projects outwardly from the surface of the detent 89and at right angles to the plane thereof, contacts a short pin t?, whichprojects inwardly from the left prong 48 of frame member 46. This pushesthe detent 8f! backward, and releases the roller shaft 69 from the hook82 of detent 81), putting said roller in position to moisten the nextenvelope (see Fig. 8), when the handle 54 is again depressed.

The stamp dispensing units C and C are very similar in construction andfunction and have several parts in common, therefore, they shall bedescribed together. Referring in particular to Figs. l and 5, it will beseen that the stamps 39 of both units C and C' are stored on a commonshaft 90 which is supported at its center by a support 91 similar to abearing, which is fastened to the floor of the device by screws. The endportions of shaft 90 are threaded to receive the stamp-retaining rings92 in threaded engagement. The stamps are guided and unroiled by themutual action of resilient rollers 93 and 94. Each roller 93 is rigidlyfastened on its left-hand side to a spur gear 95, each of these combinedgears 95 and rollers 94 is mounted on an individual bearing 96 and sharea common shaft 97. The end portions of this shaft 96 are engaged inaligned holes in supports 98. These supports 98 are in the form ofvertically disposed, essentially rectangular bars, from the bases ofwhich two flanges project, said flanges being fastened to the bottommember 16 of the device by screws in a manner similar to that of thesupport 91, which is similar in appearance to the supports 98. See Fig.l. Rollers 93 are situated directly below rollers 94 and each roller 93is mounted on an individual bearing 99. The bearings 99 are mounted sideby side on a common shaft 1110, and the end portions of this shaftproject through vertical guide slots 101 in the supports 98. Outwardlyof each support 98, the shaft 196i is supported by compression springs102; one end portion of each compression spring 102 being attached to aco-llar 193, through which the shaft 101) projects, and the other endportion being fastened to the top surface of a cube-like base ofresistance 1G14 which, in turn, is integral with the bottom member 16 ofthe device. The purpose of spring 162 is to keep the stamps 89 snuglyconfined between the rollers 93 and the rollers 94, so that both thestamps S9 and the rollers 93 will be frictionally actuated by anymovement of the rollers 94.

The force necessary to actuate these units C and C is transmitted to thespur gears 95 by a system consisting of rack gear and partial spur gearcombinations, a clutch system and a set o-f spur gears. This system canbest be seen in Figs. 1 and 5. Two vertically disposed rack gears 1l5and 1116 are supported in parallel relation by forward and rearwardextensions 1i'i5a and ltla of the right-hand prong 56 of the handlemember 55. The rack gears 105 and 1156 are positioned so that theirteeth project to the right-hand side of the device. These gears are inthe form of long, transversely rectangular bars having a discreet numberof teeth which occupy what is roughly the middle third of the length ofsaid bar, the rest of the bar being flat on its outer surface.

A long shaft 107 passes through holes in the vertical flanges of theangle bars 25 and 26, by which unit B is suspended, and the end portionsof this shaft 167 are engaged in collars 108 which are rigidly fastenedto the inside surfaces of the front and back casing members 24.) and 19,respectively. Near the central portion of this shaft 1113" is a partialspur gear 169 which is flanked on either side by friction plates 111iand 111, which are located to the front and rear, respectively, of thegear 1129. These friction plates are so related to the gear 169 thatthey will be rotated only when the gear 1139 moves in acounter-clockwise direction. The mechanism which thus relates thefriction plates and 111 to the gear 109 is as follows: A sleeve 112 fitsover the shaft 107 in such a manner that it may be easily rotated aboutsaid shaft. The sleeve 112 has at its rear end portion -a short annularflange 113. At its forward end portion is a slight annular groove whichreceives a removable clamp 114. Between the flange 113 and the clamp 114two shorter sleeves 115 are confined and near the outer extremity ofeach sleeve 115 is a relatively large annular flange 116. The forwardend portion of the forward sleeve 115 projects into the central hole inthe friction plate 110 and said friction plate is rigidly fastened tothe -by small compression springs outer surface of the forward flange116. In a similar manner, the friction plate 111 is fastened to theouter Isurface of the rearward flange 116. The partial spur gear 109 isloosely confined between the flanges 116 and rotates on a bearing 117,part of which is integral therewith and which uses the outer surfaces ofthe sleeves 115 as a direct bearing surface. The central hole in thegear 109, through which the sleeves 115 project, is altered to affordthree equally spaced recesses 118 which house the roller bearings 119.ln Fig. 3 it may be seen that each of the recesses 118 tapers, in aclockwise direction, toward the outer surfaces of the sleeves 115, untilit becomes tangent thereto. Also, each roller bearing 119 is forced intothe tapered side of its recess 118 120 which are confined between eachroller bearing 119 and the untapered side of its recess 118. lt may beseen that, when the gear 109 is rotated in a counter-clockwisedirection, each roller bearing 119 will become tightly wedged betweenthe tapered side of its recess 118 and the outer surfaces of the sleeve115, thus forcing the sleeves 115 and 112 and, hence, the frictionplates 110 and 111 to rotate also. However, when the gear 109 is rotatedin a clockwise direction, the roller bearings 119 tend to roll freely inthe larger sides of their recesses 118` so that only the gear 109 isrotated. Thus, when the handle 54 is depressed, and the teeth of a rackgear 105 or 106 engage those of the gear 109, the friction plates 110and 111 are also rotated in a counter-clockwise direction; but when therack gear 105 turns the gear 109 in a clockwise direction, as the rackgear S rises after the downward stroke, the friction plates are notrotated.

It may also be noted that the gear 109 has two teeth 10961, apart fromits main body of teeth whose function it is to rest upon the flatsurfaces of the rack gear 105, and thereby to keep said main body ofteeth in a position to be engaged by the teeth of the rack gear 105.

Referring now to Fig. 5 in particular, it will be seen that the spurgear 109 and its friction plates 110 and 111 float on the shaft 107between a rear compression spring 121 and a front compression spring122. The vertical flange of angle bar 26 forms a base of resistance forthe rear spring 121, and the vertical flange of angle bar forms a baseof resistance for the front spring 122.

O11 either side of the spur gear 109 and its friction plates 110 and 111is a spur gear 123 and 124. The teeth of gear 123 mesh with those of thegear 95 of unit C and the teeth of gear 124 mesh with those of the gear95 of unit C. Each of the gears 123 and 124 is mounted on a bearing 125which is press fitted tothe outside surface of the end portion of asleeve, which fits loosely over the shaft 107 and the springs 121 or122. The sleeve 126, which supports the bearing 125 of gear 123, ts overthe spring 121, and its outer end portion is rigidly engaged in a holein a vertical support 128 having a l fiat horizontal, triangular basewhich is fastened to the bottom member 16 with screws. This sleeve 126is long enough to allow the stamps from unit C' to pass between it andits gear 123. The sleeve 127 which supports the bearing 125 of gear 124is shorter than sleeve 126. It

fits over the spring 122 and its outer end portion is rigidly engaged ina vertical support 129 similar to support 128, the base of which is alsofastened to the bottom member 16 with screws. A friction plate 130,which is the same diameter of friction plates 110 and 111 is rigidlyfastened to the inside surface of gear 123, and a similar friction plate131 is rigidly fastened to the inside surface of gear 124.

The springs 121 and 122 are adjusted so that they exert approximatelyequal force on the friction plates 110 and 111 of wheel 109 when thestamp-applying unit B is in its neutral position. Because of this, thefriction plate 110 does not contact friction plate 13 nor does frictionplate 111 contact friction plate 130. Also,

'neither-Y of the-rackv gears 105 and 106 -will engage the spur gear 109when unit B is in its neutral position.

However, when unit B is moved into its rearward position, the space inwhich spring 122 is confined is shortened and the space in which spring121 is confined is lengthened. Thus spring 122 is under the greatercompression, and it forces the gear 109 and its friction plates and 111to slide rearwardly along the shaft 107 until the friction plate 111contacts the friction plate 130. Also, when unit B is in this rearwardposition, the gear 105 is placed in a position to engage the gear 109.Thus, when the handle 54 is depressed, the gear 105 engages and causesgear 109 to rotate on the shaft 107. The frictional engagement of gear109 with gear 111 causes gear 111 to rotate also, and since its teethare permanently engaged with those of gear 95 of unit C', it performsthe function of unrolling a length of stamps.

Fig. 5 shows the unit B in its forward position and in an examination ofthis gure it will be seen that when unit B is in this position, thespring 121 forces the gear 109 and its friction plates 110 and 111 toslide along the shaft 107 until the friction plate 110 contacts thefriction plate 131. This causes the gear 124 to rotate with the gear109, and since the teeth of gear 124 are permanently meshed with thoseof the gear 95 of unit C, it performs the function of unrolling thestamps from unit C when actuated. It will also be seen that when unit Bis in its forward position, the gear 106 engages the gear 109 when thehandle 54 is depressed.

It is important that the relative spatial arrangements and sizes of thegears 105, 106, gear 109, semicircular slots 59 and slots 86 be suchthat the following operations are carried out in carefully timedsequence, when handle 54 is depressed:

l. The wet roller 70 passes over the area of the envelope which is to bestamped;

2. A stamp is delivered from either unit C or C' and is placed over themoistened area of the envelope;

3. Stamp is firmly affixed to the envelope by the pressure plate 72 andis severed from its adjoining stamp by the pressure edge 74.

The inside surface of the bottom member 16 is fashioned in such a manneras best to accommodate the forms and functions of the mechanisms whichit supports. In referring to Fig. 1, it will be noted that that portionof the bottom member which lies under the working area of unit B andunder the various sets of gears is thickened for greater support. Also,the portion of the bottom member 16, to which the supports 9S, 12S and129 are fastened, is in the form of a recumbent flange 132 which extendsto the left of the device and is integrally connected with the rest Iofthe bottom member at its righ-t end portion, as indicated at 133.Referring now to Figs. 9 and l0, it will be seen that underneath theflange 132 is an adjustable letter stop 134. This letter stop 134 is inthe form of a long bar 135 having two flanges 136 integrally connectedto its end portions and extending to the righthand thereof. Theseflanges 136 also extend downwardly on either side of the thickenedportion of bottom member 16, using it as a guide. A shaft 137 extendsbetween the upper end portions of flanges 136 and its end portions arejournaled in holes therein. The front end portion of the shaft 137 isextended beyond the outside surface of the front flange 136, andterminates in a flat handle 138. A long flat member which is parallel tothe shaft 137, and one edge of which is rigidly attached to that portionof the shaft which lies between the flanges 136, acts as a stop 139 whenits free edge falls by the pull of gravity, into one of a plurality ofgrooves 140 in the portion of the bottom member 16 which lies under therecumbent flange 132. These grooves 140 are angular and have twosides-their right sides are vertical, and their left sides are at asmall angle to the horizontal plane. Further movemen-t of the letterstop 134 is prevented when the stop member 139 contacts the verticalright side of a groove 143. This letter stop 134 may be adjusted bymanually turning the handle 138 until the stop member 139 is free of thegroo-ve in which it has been engaged, and by manually moving it to theright or left until the stop member 139 becomes engaged in the desiredgroove 140.

The upper surface of the ange 132 of bottom member 16 is altered to formtwo stamp guides 141. These stamp guides 141 are located, in parallelrelation to one another, to the left of the rollers 93 and in alignmentwith the rolls of stamps 89 of units C and C. The right-hand endportions of the guides 141 ytake the form of incline planes 142 whichrise above the upper surface of the flange 132. The upper surfaces ofthese incline planes 142 follow a line which leads from a point tangentto the upper surface of the rollers 93 downwardly at an oblique angletoward the left hand into a curved juncture with the bottom surface oftransversely rectangular grooves 143 in the upper surface of the ange132. The purpose of these guides 141 is to prevent the unrolled stampsfrom being damaged by slipping oif the rollers 93, as well as to guidethem into the correct position for application to the envelope. Furtherguidance is given to the unrolled stamp by the action of two strapsprings 144 which tend to prevent the unrolled stamps from escaping fromthe grooves 143 of the stamp guides 141. These springs 144 are rigidlysupported, in parallel relationship with one another, by a shaft 145,the end portions of which are rigidly engaged in aligned holes in thesupports 128 and 129. Said aligned holes are set low enough in thesupports 128 and 129 so that the springs 144 will not interfere with theaction of the spur gear 109. The strap springs 144, as may be seen inFig. l, are in the form of clockwise-expanding spirals which follow astraight line obliquely downward into the grooves 143, where they form acurved juncture with their free end portions, which lie in a horizontalplane in the grooves 143.

When a stamp is being applied to an envelope, added pressure is appliedto the free end portion of the spring 144 which is involved in theprocess and hence to the edge fo the stamp which lies beneath it, by theaction of a spiral strap spring 146. This spring 146 is rigidly mountedon a shaft 147. The end portions of this shaft 147 are rigidly engagedin aligned holes in two outwardly extending right angular anges 148,which are formed from frontward and rearward extensions of the lower endportion of an oblique rearward and downward projection of ,theright-hand prong 56 of the handle member 55. The spring 146 thus mountedis, as seen in Fig. l, in the form of a clockwise-expanding spiral whichfollows a straight line obliquely downward to a point directly below theshaft 147 and directly above the free end portion of one of the springs144. From this point, the free end portion of the springs 146 turnsabruptly upward, forming a small pressure point 149. It may be notedthat the spring 14o is located in a position that permits it to applypressure on the free end portion of the spring 144 which happens to bein use at the moment. This pressure tightly contines the stamp whichadjoins the stamp which is being applied to the envelope. This actionaids in breaking the perforated line which separates the two stamps.

While there are herein disclosed but a limited number of embodiments ofthe structure, process and pro-duct of the invention herein presented,it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing fromthe inventive concept herein disclosed, and it is desired, therefore,that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as arestated herein, or required by the prior art.

What I claim is:

l. In a device of the class described, an envelope supporting andpositioning means, a liquid holding material, an elongated structureintermediately pivoted to turn about a horizontal axis and having at oneend a moisture applying device and'having at its other end a stamppressure and severing device, and means for turning thestructure toalternately bring the moisture applying device into contact with theliquid holding material and thereafter bring the same into a position toapply moisture to an envelope on the supporting and positioning means,the turning of vthe structure also successively brings the stamppressure and severing device into contact with a stamp in a roll onmoistened area of the envelope.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which themoisture applying deviceis spring projected, said structure further including a cam at theliquid holding material for retracting the moist-ure applying device,automatic means for holding the moisture applying device retracted, andother auto-matic means for releasing the same when in its position forapplying moisture to the envelope.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the stamp pressure andsevering device is a lever acting pivoted plate having a cutting edgeand a spring yieldingly holding the plate pressed outwardly, normallythe plate is outwardly inclined and its free end portion is in a planeparallel to the pivot of said plate.

4. The structure deined in cla-im 1 further including a mount for astrip of stamps wound in a roll, and means for unwinding the strip ofstamps from the roll and feeding the same `onto the stamp supponting andpositioning means.

5. The structure defined in claim l further including a mount for astrip of stamps wound in a roll, a pair of friction rolls between whichan unwound portion of the strip of stamps extends, one of the rollsbeing yieldingly pressed toward the other roll, and means forintermittently driving the other roll to feed the strip of stamps ontothe stamp supporting and positioning means.

6. In a device of the class described, envelope supporting andpositioning means, a liquid reservoir, a liquid absorbing material inthe reservoir and extending into an aperture in the reservoir, anelongated structure pivoted to turn about a horizontal axis and havingat one end a moisture applying roller and at its other end a stamppressure and severing device, means for turning the structure toalternately bring the moisture applying roller into contact with theliquid holding material and thereafter bring the same into a position toapply the moisture to an envelope on the supporting and positioningmeans, the turning of the structure also successively brings the stamppressure and severing device into contact with a stamp in a roll on themoistened area of the envelope.

7. The structure defined in claim 6 in which the moisture applyingroller is spring projected and in which the reservoir has a cam forretracting the roller, automatic means for holding the roller retracted,and other automatic means for releasing the roller when in its positionfor applying moisture to the envelope.

8. In a device of the class described, a support, a depending U-shapedmain frame including a transverse member, xed to the support and a pairof laterally spaced side members, a handle having a pair of dependinglegs extending through the support and overlapping the outer sides ofthe side members of the main frame, a U-shaped secondary frame withinthe main frame including a transverse member and side members, pivotsiiXed to the side members of the main frame and extending intolongitudinal siots in the side members of the secondary frame, each sidemember of the main frame having a slot including a transverse innersection, an intermediate semi-circular section and a longitudinal outersection, a pair of plates between the side members of the main andsecondary frames, a rod extending through aligned holes in the legs, theplates and the side members of the secondary frame and the slots in theside members of the main frame, a stamp pressure and severing devicepivoted to the transverse member of the secondary frame, a roller holderattached to the side members of the secondary frame for a limitedsliding movement longitudinally thereof, a spring yieldingly holding theroller holder pressed outwardly from the secondary frame, a moistureapplying roller journaled on said holders, a coiled spring yieldinglyholding the handle and its legs raised with the rod inthe inner sectionof the slots in the side members of the main frame.

9. The structure defined in claim 8 in which the coiled spring is heldin a tube comprising two telescopically connected sections, one of whichis lixed to the handle and the other of which is fixed to the mainframe.

10. The structure defined in claim 8 in which the support is arectangular structure having rollers, and guides in which the rollerstravel.

1l. In a device of the class described, envelope supporting andpositioning means, two mounts each for supporting a strip of stampswound into a roll, a pair of friction rolls for each roll of stamps andbetween which rolls an unwound portion of said roll of stamps extends tobe fed thereby onto the stamp supporting and positioning means, meansfor driving one of the rolls of each pair, and means for moving thestamp supporting and positioning means into alignment with either pairof friction rolls.

p 12. The structure defined in claim 1l in which the means for drivingone of the rolls of each pair includes a pair of gears fixed on theinner sides of the driven rolls, a shaft and meshing with the iirstnoted gears, a single gear mounted to turn about the shaft means forconnecting sing e gear to either one of the last noted gears to drivethe same, and means for driving the single gear.

13. The structure deined'in claim 11 in which the means for driving oneof the rolls of each pair includes a pairof gears fixed on the innersides of the respective rolls, a shaft, a pair of gears loose on theshaft and meshing with the first noted gears, the last noted gearshaving on their inner side frictionvsurfaces, a tube turnable in theshaft between the lastfnoted gears, a double faced friction disk fixedon each end of the tube, a single gear through which the shaft extends,a one Way clutch connecting the single gear to the tube, means formoving the tube friction disks and single gear axially on the shaft tobring one of the friction disks into Contact with the friction surfaceson the adjacent last noted gear.

14. In a device of the class described, envelope supporting andpositioning means, two mounts each for supporting a strip of stampswound into a roll, a pair of friction rolls for each roll of stamps andbetween which rolls an unwound portion of said roll of stamps extends tobe fed thereby and onto the stamp supporting and positioning means,means for moving the stamp supporting and positioning means intoalignment with either pair of friction rolls, a gear fixed to the innerside of one of the rolls of each pair, a shaft, a pair of gears loose onthe shaft and meshing with the rst noted gears, the last noted gearshaving on their opposing sides friction surfaces, a tube turnable on theshaft between the last noted gears, a double faced friction disk fixedon each end of the tube, a single gear through which the tube extends, aone way clutch connecting the single gear to the tube, means for turningthe single gear, a pair of opposing coiled springs encircling the shaftand each holding one of the friction disks in contact with the adjacentsurfaces of the single gear, and means for compressing either one of thesprings to increase its tension and permit expansion of the other springto decrease its tension, whereby the spring having its tension increasedwill clamp the opposite friction disk between the opposing frictionsurfaces of the single gear and the respective last noted gear and drivethe same.

1S. The structure defined in claim 14 in which the means for turning thesingle gear includes a handle operated rack gear meshing with the singlegear.

16. The structure defined in claim 14 in which the means for operatingthe coiled springs includes a structure having side members engaged bythe spring as bases ot resistance, said structure having roller guidesin which the rollers travel, the means for turning the single gearincludes a plunger acting handle mounted on said structure and having arack gear meshing with the single gear, said rack gear being free toslide endwise on the single gear, the stamp means for applying a stampto an envelope on the stamp supporting and severing means being mountedon said structure.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 484,448Palmer Oct. 18, 1892 902,179 Smith et al Oct. 27, 1908 1,108,729 FischerAug. 25, 1914 1,406,534 Burr Feb. 14, 1922 1,775,404 Mohr Sept. 9, 19302,505,433 Sano Apr. 25, 1950

